Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Have you guys heard about Alex London and PROXY, yet? If not, all I can say is thank me later because you are going to want a piece of this action. This book is a nonstop thrill ride of awesome that managed to make me feel all the feels along the way. Tired of melodramatic romances overshadowing the larger plot? PROXY is more bromance than romance, and the friendship that develops between the two main characters is one of my favorite parts of the book. Here's the blurb that sucked me in:

Knox was born into one of the City’s wealthiest families. A Patron, he has everything a boy could possibly want—the latest tech, the coolest clothes, and a Proxy to take all his punishments. When Knox breaks a vase, Syd is beaten. When Knox plays a practical joke, Syd is forced to haul rocks. And when Knox crashes a car, killing one of his friends, Syd is branded and sentenced to death.

Syd is a Proxy. His life is not his own.

Then again, neither is Knox’s. Knox and Syd have more in common than either would guess. So when Knox and Syd realize that the only way to beat the system is to save each other, they flee. Yet Knox’s father is no ordinary Patron, and Syd is no ordinary Proxy. The ensuing cross-country chase will uncover a secret society of rebels, test both boys’ resolve, and shine a blinding light onto a world of those who owe and those who pay. Some debts, it turns out, cannot be repaid

The Valentine's Sweet Six

1. You're a writing pro, with several adult and middle-grade books out on the shelves, but PROXY, which releases on June 18th, is your first YA novel. Tell us about it.

I once wrote the sentence: Proxy is a semi-messianic, queer-affirming sci-fi thriller which critiques the corrupt meritocracy forged by neo-liberal capitalism and the dehumanizing nature of financialized debt...for teens.

I vowed never to share this sentence in public. Oops.

Proxy is a futuristic thriller about two guys from opposite ends of society who are never supposed to know each other. There is Knox, a patron—privileged, entitled, kind of obnoxious, dashingly handsome, and there is Syd--an orphan, a loner, closed off, and desperately trying to get out of debt. It’s the debt he’s in that makes him Knox’s proxy. When Knox gets in trouble, Syd is punished. When Knox’s hijinks go too far, Syd has had enough and the two of them end up caught up in events much larger themselves. They're going to need each other to survive.

That’s the plot anyway.

To me, the heart of the story is these guys figuring out how to connect--with themselves, with each other, with the world around them in a larger way than mere self-interest. It’s sort of the fundamental journey we all have to go through in growing up.

Usually, though, there aren’t clone armies after us. Syd and Knox have to deal with that too.

The book came from two places, really—Sid Fleischman’s chapter book, The Whipping Boy (which is an obvious inspiration; I even seeded references to it throughout the book. I wonder if anyone will get them all?) and from some stuff I was dealing with, guilt trying to process my own privileged upbringing and trying to figure out why all the stories I read with main characters who were gay were about being gay in some way, were "issue" novels. In this story, Syd happens to be gay, but that’s not really germane to the plot. I don’t believe that any one facet of a person’s identity should limit the kinds of stories they get to see themselves in, so I wanted to write an action-packed adventure tale about big ideas—debt, friendship, society—that didn’t shrink itself into a “gay” novel.

So there’s a lot going on, but I mean it to be a page-turner…I repeat: clone armies.

2. What scene in your book do you love the most?

How can I choose just one?? Did you see how long my last answer was?? Did you see all the big words I used in that first sentence??

I love the first chapter because I wrote it a very very long time ago, before I knew much about the book and the form it exists in now is almost identical to how it came out in the first draft. That is rare for me. Usually everything gets rewritten.

There is a camping scene in the desert in the middle of the book where the three central characters (spoiler alert: there’s a girl) get to (briefly) be normal teens again, silly, flawed, sarcastic, hormonal. I love that scene.

And lastly, the last scene of the book, which I rewrote and reconceived a million times (well, seven times, counting when I hid out in Penguin's offices and tweaked it in pencil one last time on the final page proofs). I ended up surprising myself with what happened. I don’t want to ruin it, but I did not expect it to go the way it did (although looking back it seems inevitable…like I was setting it up from page one…I just didn’t know that). It makes me cry and it makes me smile. I'm very proud of that scene.

3. Name a YA character, not your own, that you love, who and why?

Obviously, I’m not going to pick just one! I could name a dozen! A hundred! Choosing a favorite book character is like choosing a favorite person…there are many I love, but some I keep closer to the bed. So: Titus from Feed by MT Anderson and Lyra from His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman.

Titus is just such a perfect depiction of an average teen in an all too plausible futuristic world (and he is, to a small degree, a literary antecedent to Knox in Proxy). I love his flaws, his naïve lack of enthusiasm for the wonders around him and his obliviousness to the horrors. In that way, too, he is like me, growing up in Baltimore as the murder rate was spiking in the 90's and AIDS was decimating the gay and the African-American communities…I knew none of that. I was just hanging with my friends in prep school, looking for a good time, thinking how lame everything was. But in Feed, Titus grows; Titus questions; Titus evolves. We should all hope that for our characters. We should all hope that for ourselves.

And Lyra. Amazing Lyra in the His Dark Materials trilogy. She’s tough, she’s bold, she’s inconsistent, she’s a liar and a dreamer and a hero and a fully realized human in a fully realized fantasy world. She may be one of the best ever created. She's accessible enough for the reader to pour himself into (for the same reason Harry Potter or Bella in Twilight are kind of bland…we need to project ourselves into them) but unlike Harry or Bella, Lyra is also a fully unique individual and far from bland. She's quirky and universal; a character we can aspire to be and also far from a role model. I mean…how did Pullman pull that off? The man is a genius.

I have received precious few valentines. Actually there aren't any that I can recall! I guess I don't really do valentines day. I was closeted for most of high school, so romance wasn’t really in the cards and later, it just seemed like a corporate holiday for straight couples to overpay for dinner. After nearly 10 years with my partner, I like to think every day is romantic and special and we don’t need one prescribed day to celebrate our relationship.

Also, I always forget about it until the morning of. But my rationalizations sounded convincing, right?

5. If you were a Brach's heart, what phrase would be written on you?

You R Not Alone

6. Flowers, candy, or... *Paula flails to come up with a more Y-chromosome friendly choice* human flesh? (What? According to his blog he wrote a MG book about cannibals!)

I did write a middle grade novel called We Dine With Cannibals, but in the story the Cannibals are (spoiler alert) a red herring. My way of playing with colonial stereotypes and assumptions about ‘the other’ through silly middle grade adventure stories. So probably a no-go on the human flesh. Not because of the taboo. I’m an adventurous eater, but because I couldn’t bear to think my dinner was somebody's son or daughter. It doesn't seem right. Then again, the same could be said about cows or pigs or chickens, all of which I eat...hmmm....I'm a hypocrite.

Better go with candy. Flowers die, but cavities are forever.

So my dentist keeps telling me! Alex, you rock for being my first Valentines victim, er, interviewee, and I cannot wait to watch the public clamor for PROXY just like I did :)

Alex London writes books for adults, children and teens. At one time a journalist who traveled the world reporting from conflict zones and refugee camps, he now is a full time novelist living in Brooklyn.Check out Alex's blog, twitter, and FB.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

For today's Sweet Six interview, I'm talking with E.M. Kokie, whose beautiful, compelling debut PERSONAL EFFECTS is currently on shelves. The book was selected for YALSA’s 2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults list and was recently named a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards. In other words, it's kind of a big deal. For those not in the know:

Ever since his brother,
T.J., was killed in Iraq, Matt feels like he’s been sleepwalking through
life — failing classes, getting into fights, and avoiding his dad’s
lectures about following in his brother’s footsteps. T.J.’s gone, but
Matt can’t shake the feeling that if only he could get his hands on his
brother’s stuff from Iraq, he’d be able to make sense of his death. But
as Matt searches for answers about T.J.’s death, he faces a shocking
revelation about T.J.’s life that suggests he may not have known T.J. as
well as he thought. What he learns challenges him to stand up to his
father, honor his brother’s memory, and take charge of his own life.
With compassion, humor, and a compelling narrative voice, E. M. Kokie
explores grief, social mores, and self-discovery in a provocative first
novel.

Yes, this book is as good as it sounds. I loved it, and for those wanting to read guy-POV young adult, PERSONAL EFFECTS delivers. Now, on with the show!

The Valentine's Sweet Six

1) Your book has been out in the wild for 6 months now. Congratulations! What's been your favorite part of the debut author journey!

Hearing from readers. Hands down, the most amazing part has been hearing from people, especially teens, who are reading and discussing Personal Effects.

2) What scene in your book do you LOVE the most?

Oh, wow, I think of the book as a whole, not the sum of its parts. So, I don't think I can pick a "favorite." And then there are spoiler issues -- some of the bits of which I'm most proud would give away key plot points. But, okay, from early in the book, I am really proud of the scene between Matt and his father in the kitchen discussing the fight. That scene has been there from the first draft, but with each revision I think it gained focus and tension. It has all these sharp-edged sentences and heavy silences that I love.

3) If you had to pick a literary character you LOVE (and not your own), who would you pick and why?

I love so many characters, especially when they are supporting characters who encompass a lot of complexity. Like Severus Snape -- he is so wonderfully complex and layered. A great character.

4) What's the craziest/most memorable valentine you've ever received?

Nothing too crazy, and the ones that are memorable are too personal to share. ;)

5) If you were a Brach's heart, what phrase would be written on you?

Be True

6) The all-important choice: Flowers or Candy?

Candy(good answer!)

Thank you so much for stopping by the blog and talking with us. You can follow E.M. on Twitter, Facebook, and her blog.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

“If personality is an
unbroken series of successful gestures, then there was something gorgeous about
him”

They
don't make 'em like this anymore.

I figured we'd break up the interviews, and I'd do a bit of
gushing about a particular book over which I've been swooning for half my life.
I realize it isn't YA, but I couldn't resist. In lieu of the new cinematic spin on the classic, I choose to give Gatsby some love.

I'm
skeptically anticipating the impending release. It could be epic with Baz Luhrmann
at the helm, and it is certainly casted well.

Judging by the trailer, the essential elements are there, right down to the looming eyes of T.J. Eckleburg. Hopefully, the loss of value and hollowness they symbolize will not apply to the quality of this rendition.

On to the book.

The setting still gets me: New York in the roaring twenties,
the Jazz Age, the flappers, the prohibition, the speakeasies, the American
Dream. The era itself is fascinating, but as a sixteen-year-old, it took much more
than that to snatch my attention.

I was
an adamant reader in elementary school, but due to the lack of incentive and
the turbulence that is middle school, my hobbies had evolved into hair flipping
and eye rolling. The Great Gatsby
changed my life because it prompted my love affair with the written word and my
hopeless crush on imagery.

“In his blue gardens men and girls came and
went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”

Fitzgerald's
words were powerful enough to slap the petty foolishness out of me, to prompt
me to dig deeper. Until then, I'd never read to find symbolism, hidden treasure
within the lines. And I didn't realize how much I loved words. The power of
them. I didn't know what to do with the emotions the book invoked within me. A
man who would dedicate his entire life to the dream of a girl he couldn't have.
A girl who was better as a dream than as a real person. Isn't that the problem
with ambition? That you'll crawl, claw, and brawl your way to a goal, only to
discover it wasn't at all what you expected.

"There must have been moments even that
afternoon when Daisy tumbled short of his dreams -- not through her own fault,
but because of the colossal vitality of his illusion. It had gone beyond her,
beyond everything."

And
what is left of you then, when you realize your mental creation is better than
reality? Do you become a ghost of a person who decides to simply cling to the memories
because they were the catalyst?

"So we beat on, boats
against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

To go
back to the past- what Gatsby meant
to me as a teenager was romance, that someone would dedicatethemselves in such a way, that someone could
be captivating enough to cause such devotion. I can appreciate Fitzgerald so
much more now at this point in my life, now that I'm beginning to understand
nostalgia, the harshness of the world and the fallacies of "opportunity". I can truly appreciate the meaning of Fitzgerald's Valley of Ashes. The effect
this novel has on me grows with the number of candles on my birthday cake. I've
read few books with such influence.

Fitz's
meaning is heart wrenching and powerful but sugarcoated with gorgeous candy strings
of words. Dreams are dreams. Universal. Some people cheat or sacrifice morals
to achieve them. Some work hard, but diligence doesn't necessarily equal
success. There are more Wilsons than Tom Buchanans.

And endings
are not always happy.

It's safe to say that The
Great Gatsby is one of the loves of my life. I still have my battered copy
from the eleventh grade, complete with my side notes...most of which are
teacher prompted highlights and my own juvenile observations. Confession: It
was the first (and last) thing I ever stole. Not sure how I got away with that
one. I also kept the copy I used as a teacher when I was a student intern. (I
actually paid for that one, however.) I was given the opportunity to gush about Gatsby
for weeks to my honors tenth graders. And I own a third copy, clear of marks, free of my past
reflections so as not to influence my current. I believe that I will obsess
about Gatsby until the day I take my
copy (copies) to the grave with me.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Tuesday SWEET SIX/Book Rave to bring you three very special Valentine News Bulletins!

Bulletin #1

Our own Paula Stokes announced her second contemporary YA novel with HarperTeen, LIARS, INC. Release date pending, but stay tuned to learn more about this nitty gritty contemporary gem!

Bulletin #2

The Top Secret Valentine has been REVEALED! Give a big Valentines' welcome to Sara B. Larson, whose YA fantasy DEFY comes out Spring 2014 from Scholastic! Head on over to our Books! page to check it out, and be sure to add it (as well as all the other *totally unbiased* fantastic Valentines books) on Goodreads!

Bulletin #3

Are you ready for this?

No, seriously. ARE YOU READY FOR THIS?

We have THE FIRST official cover for a Valentines book! Some of you may have already seen its loveliness posted on the Books! page, but it is just so darn pretty, we decided it deserved its own announcement too. So I present for your proper oooing and ahhhing pleasure, the stunningly raw cover to A. Lynden Rolland's OF BREAKABLE THINGS!

Alex Ash always stands out in a crowd. Blame it on her quick tongue or her attraction to trouble, but Alex is willing to bet most people know her name because of her illness. Living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is like living on death row, yet even as a prisoner in her own body, Alex is willing to fight for her diseased life as long it includes her best friend Chase and his rambunctious brothers. But when Chase’s entire family is tragically killed, suddenly her disease is a blessing in disguise. When death finally comes knocking, she is packed and ready to go- only to discover her life has just begun.

Eidolon is a secluded reservation which has existed for centuries as a safeguard and governing capital city for those spirits who are strong enough to linger once the body is gone. In a peculiar world where rooms can absorb emotions and secrets are buried six feet under, Alex finds herself to be the talk of the afterlife due to her infamous prophet of a mother who disappeared years ago. Suddenly standing out isn’t so great especially since the spirits who hunted her mother seem to have their sights set on Alex. Yet even amongst envious peers, daunting magic, and soulless banshees, the most difficult aspect of Alex’s afterlife is juggling between Chase and his reckless brother, neither of whom are willing to give up the girl they both love.

Friday, March 1, 2013

According to Random.org Integer Generator, you #10 are the winner of our inaugural month giveaway. So let's give a big round of applause to:

Sallie MazzurWe'll be getting in touch with you very soon!
And don't forget to keep shooting those arrows because EVERY MONTH, that's right folks, every month, we will be giving away something awesome. But you have to shoot us an arrow to be included in the drawing!

And now for my humiliation.
Be kind, people. Did you know writers are introverts at heart?